Those three words describe the individuals and
organisations represented in this room today. As the
Minister responsible for mental health and addiction, I am
privileged to be in a position to see how much these
qualities are exemplified in the mental health sector.

So
I would like to thank you now for those qualities and all
that you bring to your work every day – work that makes a
huge difference to so many across New
Zealand.

Context and Rising to the
ChallengeNew Zealand’s mental health services
and programmes are in a period of growth and
renewal.

Rising to the Challenge – an apt
title for a document containing 100 separate actions – is
a major recent catalyst for those changes, and seeks to
bring all the disparate services and programmes into a more
coherent, holistic system.

As is the way with these
documents, a number of individual ‘actions’ are actually
major projects in their own right and are made up of
multiple other ‘actions’.The refresh of Like Minds, Like
Mine is one of those actions, but first I would like to
speak briefly about three others in particular.

They
are:• the Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health
Project• the New Zealand Suicide Prevention Action
Plan• and the National Depression
Initiative.

The Prime Minister’s Youth Mental
Health ProjectToo many of our young people are
struggling with depression or anxiety. The Youth Mental
Health Project was launched in 2012, and aims to bring the
health sector, communities, schools and the online world
together to create a more integrated web of support for
those young people.

The 26 initiatives cover the different
phases of support that a young person and their whānau may
require – from better, more accessible information and
raised mental health awareness in youth services, to early
intervention in schools, and innovative, integrated and
improved services.

Innovative online services are a
crucial part of this, and the recent launch of the online
SPARX e-therapy tool for young people is a big milestone for
the Project.Work is progressing well, but it will also be
evaluated to make sure that we are taking the right
approach.

New Zealand Suicide Prevention Action
PlanA new Suicide Prevention Action Plan was
launched in 2013. The 30 actions in it are designed to build
on existing work, but with a particular emphasis
on:

• assisting communities and frontline workers to
identify and respond to suicidal behaviour• reducing
the impact of suicide on communities• building the
capacity of Māori and Pasifika communities to prevent
suicide.

The experiences of communities that have
responded to suicide are taken into account to ensure that
we are learning as we go, and responding to
change.

The National Depression
InitiativeThe National Depression Initiative is
now entering its eighth year, and it has been very
successful. However, changes in the way that people use
technology and the need to ensure that the right population
groups are being targeted make it critical that it continues
to be updated.

The Ministry of Health and the Health
Promotion Agency are working together to implement changes
designed to improve the targeting, the attractiveness of the
online services and their accessibility.

Like Minds,
Like MineAnd now back to Like Minds. I would
like to reiterate the value and importance of the services
you have collectively delivered over a number of years. Like
Minds holds a unique place among New Zealand’s mental
health services and you have all worked hard towards
reducing the stigma and discrimination associated with
mental illnesses.

You have also been dedicated advocates
for those with experience of mental illness. Over the last
16 years, Like Minds has led the way in making New Zealand a
more inclusive society for everyone.

As with all
programmes of this nature, it is important that we build on
this success and ensure the direction of Like Minds is
focussed and appropriate. Reinvigorated leadership, new
priority audiences, and more flexible service options,
together with a strong shared purpose, will lead the
programme in an exciting new direction. The refresh of the
Like Minds, Like Mine National Plan is part of the same
context of evolution that other actions in Rising to the
Challenge represent.

Innovation is nothing new to Like
Minds – since 1997 it has gone through many transitions.
The many awards that it has won are a testament to its
success in managing that change.

As you all know so well,
depression, anxiety and other mental health issues are not
simply going to go away on their own. We need to keep
working hard, to drive changes and to respond with care and
kindness if we are going to continue to be successful in
this difficult area.

Reinvigorated leadership, new
priority audiences, and more flexible service options,
together with a strong shared purpose, will lead this
programme in an exciting new direction. A backbone of
research and evaluation will help guide future development
and ensure that Like Minds remains robust and evidence-based
as it reacts to the changing shape of other mental health
services, and of New Zealand communities.

The new National
Plan that you will see today has been largely informed by
the comprehensive feedback that you and other members of the
sector have provided during consultation. Over the last 16
years, Like Minds has led the way in making New Zealand a
more inclusive society for everyone. The new Plan aims to
create a structure that will better harness the power of
your passion for and dedication to that task, and allow your
innovation to show the way forward for the years to
come.

I know there are exciting opportunities for you to
consider and be involved in this refreshed direction and new
National Plan. I also know that change can be challenging,
but it is vital that we learn from the past and respond to
our changing environment. It is important that not just we,
but all New Zealanders, own this Plan. We need to all
support the ongoing journey to ensure equality thrives in
New Zealand.

Again, I would like to thank and congratulate
you on all that you have achieved over the last 16 years. I
look forward to seeing an increasingly inclusive New Zealand
as we progress towards
2019.

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